May has been cool and wet. That said, it has not been a time to ease up in the gardens. There has been a lot of weeding, especially on the river bank. We put in over 80 Asiatic lilies and want to make sure that the ever-present interlopers don't block them out. It seems I am always filling the wheelbarrow every weekend.
Then there is the transplanting. I have moved a bunch of lavender plants, transplanted some iris and tiger lilies to the riverbank, moved some thyme plants to the herb garden, moved s few stray peony plants to a more centralize grouping, and rearranged some hostas to keep them together by type.
We put in a new sage plant (they never seem to last more than a few years). We tend to overwinter some rosemary plants indoors (they just bear through the dark days of winter). I left one outside in the herb garden and and it made it through the winter and is doing well. I moved a second one outside/ We put our basil plants in the ground as the fear of frost is gone.
The wife wanted some four o'clocks and marigolds. I am not much of an annual flower person (the idea or replanting something I can't eat seems like a big drain on time). I started them from seed and finally dug a small bed and put them in.
The compost beds have been turned over and the decaying leaves are now consolidated into a single bin.
The yard is just about as I want it. The last big chore is to fill the raised beds to get the vegetable gardens going. I need about 5 yards of soil brought in. This will take me some time over the summer. We will then be ready for fresh vegetables next year.
"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace."